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But his performance hasn't, by any stretch of the imagination. During his 69 games for the PawSox — entering Thursday's game — the catcher had blasted seven home runs with 37 RBIs and a .310 batting average.

With Luis Exposito gone, Lavarnway has spent this season settling into his role as Pawtucket's starting catcher. From PawSox manager Arnie Beyeler's vantage point, the backstop is thriving with his transition.

"I think his real development this year has been being an everyday catcher," Beyeler said. "He's never done that on a daily basis –– knowing he's the guy every day and getting those reps in day-to-day. Trying to balance that with his at-bats and his role and how he goes about things.

"The workload of catching five-to-six days a week instead of maybe two or three or however many, so you're body is ready everyday."

Lavarnway left his imprint in the majors last September, delivering two homers and eight RBIs in 17 games for the Red Sox. His sights are set on a return to the big stage this season.

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